Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger are pressing Congress for $15.7 billion in federal wildfire recovery money to rebuild infrastructure, housing, and business corridors across the Westside, including communities directly neighboring Santa Monica that were devastated by the January 2025 Palisades Fire.

The two leaders sent joint letters Friday, July 10, to congressional leaders, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, and the Los Angeles County congressional delegation, urging lawmakers to add the funds to the next supplemental appropriations bill, according to the Santa Monica Mirror and the Westside Current.

The request lands in Congress after President Trump's $87.6 billion supplemental package, submitted Wednesday, June 24, allocated nothing for Palisades or Eaton fire recovery. That package directed $67 billion to the Defense Department for military operations related to Iran, $11.1 billion to farmers, and $1.4 billion to Ebola response in Central Africa.

What the money would cover

The $15.7 billion — a combined city and county request, revised slightly from the $16 billion the officials sought at an April 2026 White House meeting with Trump — would go toward restoring critical infrastructure, rebuilding parks, schools, and senior centers, providing housing and financial support to displaced residents, and revitalizing economic corridors, according to the letters.

The Palisades Fire ignited Tuesday, January 7, 2025, burning more than 23,000 acres through Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu before full containment on January 31, 2025. It destroyed 6,837 structures, forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 residents, and affected an estimated 100,000 people across the Westside. The City of Los Angeles estimated roughly $350 million in public infrastructure damage from that fire alone.

More than 18 months later, survivors are still waiting on comprehensive federal disaster relief. FEMA has approved California's request to extend housing assistance, but the larger funding question remains unresolved.

A yearlong standoff

The funding gap did not appear overnight. Bass and Barger met with Trump at the White House in April 2026 and asked for recovery funds. Trump signaled his commitment to working with local officials, according to the Los Angeles Times.

But when the administration's supplemental request landed in June without wildfire aid, California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff accused the president of punishing the state. "Donald Trump's desire to punish Los Angeles and the state of California for not voting for him, means once again that thousands of Angelinos are left watching this administration fight for anything but them," the senators said in a joint statement on June 25.

OMB Director Russell Vought said the administration remained open to discussing additional relief but did not explain the omission.

The Bass-Barger letters acknowledged Trump's stated commitment while pressing Congress to act where the White House had not.

What's next

No congressional vote on the supplemental package has been scheduled. The letters were sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Appropriations Committee leaders including Sens. Susan Collins and Patty Murray and Reps. Tom Cole and Rosa DeLauro, along with more than a dozen Los Angeles-area House members.

Santa Monica's City Council has not publicly commented on the funding push. Residents can contact their congressional representatives to weigh in on the supplemental appropriations bill.